Shai Plonski

Reason #96 to learn (and give) Thai massage 🌿

Yesterday I massaged a couple in their late 70s/early 80s — active, sharp, still out there playing bridge and walking with friends. But her whole side was frozen from a small fall, and his hips and shoulders were locked up tight.

We went slow. Easing in, blending gentle assisted yoga and stretching with the massage — just enough, never too much. Watching the relief (and the hope) on their faces afterward? Priceless.

If there are elders like this in your life — or you want to learn to care for a partner this way — I've got two paths in:

🌿 Couples Thai Massage @ Kripalu Center, Lenox MA — Aug 21–23 (open to any two people who care about each other, not just romantic partners)
🌿 Foundations in Thai Massage Level 1 @ Kaya Yoga, New Canaan CT — Sept 18–20

Link in bio. Would love to see you there 💛

Reason #5 to give (and learn) Thai massage 🙏 

A couple of days ago, I massaged one of my favorite clients — he's 92. At the end, he just whispered "thank you." 

Quiet, deep, so grateful. 

That's the moment you know touch is medicine. 

If you want to give massage like this — to the people you love, or the clients who trust you — I've got two ways in: 

🌿 Couples Thai Massage @ Kripalu Center, Lenox MA — Aug 21–23 (starts Friday!) 

🌿 Foundations in Thai Massage Certification @ Kaya Yoga, New Canaan CT — Sept 18–20 

Links in bio to register. Hope to see you there 💛 

Reason #888 to learn Thai Massage 🙏

Connection.

We talk so much about being starved for connection out in the world — but it's just as often missing internally. We're distracted. Pulled to work, to our devices, to everyone and everything around us. What's absent is our connection to ourselves, to our own hearts, to a real sense of belonging with the people we love.

If you do this work professionally, there's something priceless about holding that boundary and still feeling your heart expand as you help someone feel amazing.

If you do this with the people you love, the boundaries come down completely — you get to be fully present, to hug them, to enjoy them, to share what it means to truly connect through loving touch. ✨

And you can learn this in no time at all.

🗓️ Loving Touch Couples Thai Massage: Aug 21–23, Kripalu Center, Lenox MA
🗓️ Professional Certification (Level 1): Sept 18–20, Kaia Yoga, New Canaan CT

Links in bio 👆 I'd love to show you what this kind of connection feels like 💛

Reason #108 to learn Thai Massage 🙏

We usually think of massage as being for the person receiving it. And yes — a great Thai massage can bring real relief for so many issues at once. But here's the thing nobody talks about enough: giving it feels incredible too.

Today I gave over three hours of Thai massage, and I'm making this video buzzing with energy — full of life, not drained by it. That's the magic of this work: the more you give, the better you feel. It stacks.

I've been doing this for 24 years. It keeps me young. It keeps me vital. It keeps me healthy. ✨

Want to learn to give this — to the people you love, or to your clients? Link in bio 👆

🗓️ Loving Touch Couples Thai Massage: Aug 21–23, Kripalu Center, Lenox MA
🗓️ Professional Certification: Sept 18–20, Kaia Yoga, New Canaan CT

I'd love to see you there 💛

Kripalu

Reason #642 to learn Thai Massage 🙏

Today I massaged a client who's had both shoulders AND both hips replaced. Tight shoulders, tight hips walking in — and by the end of the session, he was so relaxed he fell asleep for 10 minutes and woke up glowing. ✨

This is why I do this work. Your hands can give someone that.

Want to learn to give this kind of massage — to the people you love, or to your clients? Link in bio 👆

🗓️ Loving Touch Couples Thai Massage: Aug 21–23, Kripalu Center, Lenox MA
🗓️ Professional Certification: Sept 18–20, Kaia Yoga, New Canaan CT

I'd love to see you there 💛

Here's something most people don't expect: I barely use my hands for this massage.

After 24 years of teaching Thai Massage to over 14,000 people, I've learned that some of the most effective moves come from your forearms, elbows — even your feet.

In this video, I walk through a full sequence for the shoulders, low back, and feet, plus a bonus spot most people never think to work.

But here's the part I really want you to hear: this isn't one-directional. Giving this massage feels good in my own body. It opens something in me, knowing I'm offering it from a place of love — and that helps to strengthen the bond between my partner and I

If you want to actually learn this sequence in person— not just watch it — join us at our Couples Retreat at the Kripalu Center in Lenox Mass, August 21–23. Details and registration in the comments link. 💛

I don't use my hands for this massage. 👀

Forearms. Elbows. Feet. After 24 years and 14,000+ people, this is the Thai massage that hits exactly where stress actually lives — shoulders, low back, feet, and one spot nobody expects (hint: it's in the video 👀).

This isn't just something I do for my partner. It's mutual. My body feels good giving it. My heart opens up. It's love, moving both ways — and it's what keeps us close.

Want to learn the whole sequence, not just the idea? Join us at our Couples Thai Massage Retreat at Kripalu, August 21–23. Link in bio. 💛

Healing Hands: Neck & Shoulder Thai Massage Workshop

That tightness at the base of your skull. The knot between your shoulder blades that never quite lets go. If you carry your stress right there — this one's for you.

On July 11th at Deep Roots Yoga & Wellness in Graton, I'm teaching a hands-on workshop where you'll learn real, effective Thai Massage techniques for the neck and shoulders — the exact places most of us hold our tension and barely know how to release.

You'll walk away knowing how to: → Safely work into the neck, shoulders, and upper back using Thai Massage principles → Read your partner's body and work with their breath, not against it → Give (and receive) a kind of relief that goes way beyond a quick rub

No experience needed. Just bring a willingness to slow down, get your hands on someone, and feel what real, present touch can do.

Spots are limited — link in bio to register. I'd love to have you in the room.

BodyworkWorkshop StillLightCenter CompassionateTouch HealingHands WellnessWorkshop

Years of yoga, and still tight in the same spot? Your practice isn't failing you — it's just missing its other half.

Stretching lengthens a muscle. Thai Massage releases what's held underneath it. They're not competing tools, they're partners — and after 24 years of Thai Massage, I can tell you the people who feel the deepest, longest-lasting relief are the ones who use both.

This is the work I love most: showing devoted practitioners the missing piece that makes everything else they do finally click into place.

Comment MASSAGE or DM me and I'll walk you through how to pair them and/or book your session today. 🙏

Most people in pain settle for feeling stiff and exhausted — and never know why.

Thai Massage works differently. It's not just pressure. It's rhythmic compression and deep assisted stretching that release the patterns your body has been holding for years.

This is what you've been missing. 👇

DM to Book a session / Tag someone who needs this 🫶🙏